In Changzhou, there is a sport “feather” that is different_China Jiangsu Net

Photo by Lu Yifei Wen Xia Chenxi Yao Liu

Recently, the 2023 China Badminton Open series of activities – 2023 Changzhou International Youth Badminton Invitational Tournament was held in Changzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.

In Changzhou, badminton is one of the most popular sports. The landing of high-level badminton events has driven Changzhou’s tourism economy, and also promoted the popularization and development of badminton mass sports in Changzhou. The huge badminton population has also provided a steady stream of motivation for cultivating badminton talents in Changzhou.

Changzhou, once created a sports record

Since 2008, Changzhou City has hosted the China Badminton Masters for ten consecutive years, creating a domestic record for consecutively hosting World Badminton League events in the same city. In 2018, Changzhou won the right to host the 2018-2021 China Open of the World Badminton Tournament. Affected by the global epidemic, the 2020-2021 China Badminton Open was suspended, but in June last year, the World Badminton Federation announced that Changzhou once again won the right to host the 2023-2026 China Badminton Open.

As a series of events of the 2023 China Badminton Open, the Changzhou International Youth Badminton Invitational Tournament attracted more than 800 badminton players from 18 provinces and cities across the country, as well as the United States, Singapore, Canada and other countries. In September of this year, the 2023 World Badminton Tournament Super 1000 Tournament-China Badminton Open will also reignite the battle at the Olympic Sports Center.

There are more than 200,000 amateur badminton players in Changzhou

In 2008, Changzhou began to host the China Badminton Masters. In that year, only a few thousand people in Changzhou would enter the badminton hall to play, and there were no more than 100 standard badminton courts.

After more than ten years of development, Changzhou has more than 200,000 amateur badminton fans. Qu Xiaolian, secretary-general of the Municipal Badminton Association, told reporters that the rapid development of Changzhou amateur badminton is closely related to Changzhou’s hosting of top badminton events. As a prefecture-level city, Changzhou has hosted such international brand events for 12 consecutive years, which is unique in the country . “More and more Changzhou citizens are beginning to walk into standard badminton courts, trying to use more professional venues and more professional equipment to participate in the sport of badminton.” Qu Xiaolian said.

It is understood that the city currently has nearly 1,200 standard badminton courts and over 90 regular badminton clubs. “But these more than 1,000 venues are still far from enough for Changzhou badminton fans, and the masses have higher and higher requirements for venues. Now many badminton halls have to make reservations in advance, and some even have to make reservations two days in advance. Each time period The reservations for the venues are full.” Qu Xiaolian said.

Changzhou amateur badminton fans are becoming more and more “professional”

In the memory of Huang Lina, the badminton coach of Xixinqiao Experimental Primary School in Xincheng, Changzhou, when she was a child, there would be many citizens playing badminton beside the square dance, two rackets and one ball. Sometimes a small venue can gather many people. You If I’m tired, switch to me, and I’ll switch to him after I play. In 2005, Huang Lina became a coach in the badminton training class of Qingtan Gymnasium when she was in college. From then on, she felt that badminton training for children in Changzhou gradually became popular. “It was also at that time that I clearly felt that there were more badminton courts around me like mushrooms after rain.”

“Playing badminton is no longer what it used to be. Three or five friends, a court, and you can play as soon as you have a shot and a ball!” Bian Bilian, deputy secretary-general of Jiangsu Badminton Association and director of Chang Yu Badminton Club, told reporters that many people play badminton now. Some will find a coach to learn the basic skills, starting from gripping and swinging the racket, and mastering the basic steps. Bian Bilian said that in the past, most of the people who hired badminton coaches were children who wanted to develop into professional badminton. Now more and more adults also hire coaches.

“In the past few years, the age range of players has become wider and wider, and their technical pursuits have become more and more professional.” Speaking of the development of badminton mass sports in the past two years, Bian Bilian said bluntly: “Everyone is more and more willing to spend money.”

On the one hand, everyone’s investment in sports is not only reflected in hiring specialized coaches for training, but more importantly, they are willing to spend money on equipment. “In the past, everyone’s racket was only 30 to 50 yuan, but now the average price of everyone’s racquet is 200 to 300 yuan, and the expensive ones even reach thousands of yuan.” Especially young people are willing to “pay for their favorite sports” “. “This is also related to the widespread popularity of badminton and the increasing acceptance of it by everyone.” Bian Bilian said.

Changzhou’s “post-00s” have emerged in the international badminton world

In the history of the Chinese badminton national team, there have been “Six Little Flowers of China Women’s Singles” who have shocked the international badminton world. They are Wang Yihan, Wang Lin, Wang Shixian, Wang Xin, Jiang Yanjiao and Lu Lan. Among them, Jiang Yanjiao and Lu Lan are from Changzhou.

“Currently, in addition to Changzhou Youth Amateur Sports School, there are also social forces running teams. For example, schools such as Xixinqiao Primary School and Wujin District Experimental Primary School have badminton teams. In this way, the advantages of ‘integration of sports and education’ are maximized. , The way to discover and cultivate high-quality talents and seedlings is broader, thus forming a healthy competition and cycle, and effectively promoting the development of Changzhou badminton events.” Said Cheng Shangbin, vice principal of Changzhou Youth Amateur Sports School.

The huge badminton mass sports population has cultivated a large number of competitive sports reserve talents for Changzhou. At present, Changzhou’s “post-00s” have emerged in the international badminton world. In early April, Changzhou athlete Chen Boyang and teammate Liu Yi from Anhui won the men’s doubles championship in the Super 300 World Badminton Tournament and the Orleans Masters in France. Chen Boyang and Liu Yi have partnered since 2022 and have successively won the Vietnam International Series and the Malaysia National Series. In March of this year, the two won the first championship in the World Badminton Federation Super100 level event China (Ruichang) International Badminton Masters.

Badminton brand events have become a booster for cultural tourism consumption

Mr. Wu is from Guangzhou, and his family of four set off for Changzhou on the night of April 28, just to accompany his 12-year-old son to participate in the Changzhou International Youth Badminton Invitational Tournament. The family stayed at the Kyriad Hotel near the Olympic Sports. “It was the May Day holiday, so the family just came out for a walk.” Mr. Wu’s wife said that this was the first time the family came to Changzhou. I have a good impression of Changzhou, “I went to Qingguo Lane and Changzhou Cultural Square. There are many people in the scenic spots, but they are in order.”

Sports set up the stage and tourism sing operas, turning the event economy into a traffic economy. During the “May 1st” holiday, athletes and their families who come to participate in the Changzhou International Youth Badminton Invitational Tournament will basically stay for about 3-4 days, directly stimulating consumption needs such as food, clothing, housing and transportation. Accommodation is 300 to 400 yuan per day, and food and beverage consumption per capita is 30 to 200 yuan. In addition, there are other indirect consumption.

According to third-party statistics, in the 2019 China Badminton Open, a total of 232 athletes from 21 countries participated in the competition, and a total of nearly 30,000 people watched the game, 38% of whom were outside the city, directly driving consumption of nearly 50 million yuan, indirectly driving Consumption is about 150 million yuan.

From “competition” to “economy”, badminton brand sports events are becoming a new business card for Changzhou’s sports culture and sports tourism resources.